Classic Nook for a European

[milan]

I am from Europe and am considering purchasing the Nook. I have some questions which I hope somebody will answer. I will ask them in the bullet form:
- is wireless limited only to B&N hotspots or can I use my home network to browse the internet?
- are eastern european fonts like č,š,ž supported?
- can I buy ebooks from other stores and use them on the Nook?
- can I read custom documents in epub or pdf format without limitations?
- will all the features that are present for books bought in the B&N store be available for such books/documents?
- are there any catches I should be aware of when using the device internationally?
- is 6 inch screen large enough for reading? I kind of think it's too small and the screen should be at least 9''

I would also like to welcome other international users to share their experiences and issues with me. I really like the device and want it now, but if there is too much hassle I will start looking at other devices.

[geertm]

Originally Posted by milan

I am from Europe and am considering purchasing the Nook. I have some questions which I hope somebody will answer. I will ask them in the bullet form:
- is wireless limited only to B&N hotspots or can I use my home network to browse the internet?
- are eastern european fonts like č,š,ž supported?
- can I buy ebooks from other stores and use them on the Nook?
- can I read custom documents in epub or pdf format without limitations?
- will all the features that are present for books bought in the B&N store be available for such books/documents?
- are there any catches I should be aware of when using the device internationally?
- is 6 inch screen large enough for reading? I kind of think it's too small and the screen should be at least 9''

- You can use your home Wifi network. And because of the new Nook browser you can also use most public Wifi hot spots.
- Current firmware 1.3 has a problem with special characters in the titles of books. I believe the books themselves are okay.
- You can buy books from every store that sells epub or ereader books. Almost every bookstore except Amazon. Keep in mind that most books in USA bookstores have geographical restrictions (books are only for USA).
You can put non B&N books on your Nook using USB.
If you register your B&N account with an USA address and use an USA VPN like alwaysvpn you can buy books from the B&N store on your PC and download them on your Nook using Wifi.
- You can put your own epub and pdf files on the Nook. I am not sure what you mean with "without limitations".
- "Cover flow" only works with your B&N books. I have not noticed other limitations with non B&N content.
- Internationally you can not buy books on your Nook and 3G will not work.
- A 6 inch screen is a good format for reading novels. A 9 inch screen is too big to read comfortable, especially if you want to take the reader with you to read outside your home.
A 6 inch screen is too small to read PDF documents, or textbooks and technical books.

I have my Nook since December last year and I am very happy with it.

[milan]

Thanks, very helpful answer.

Is it not possible in software to change the font size in PDF documents? Alternatively, does pdf reader on the Nook allow zooming?

Are annotations and comments supported and if, in which formats?

Also, is there a dictionary available for quick lookup of a word? say by selecting it in the lower screen or typing it in while reading, without interfering with the upper screen?

yet another edit: I am a software developer so Android platform is very interesting to me. Do you know if I can create my own apps and run/publish them? I presume the Google market is not available on the Nook.

[neilmarr]

Good to have your company, Milan. Best wishes. Neil

[GERGE]

You can make your own apps. No Google Market.

There is a dictionary, you select the word or write it on the LCD but word appears on the eInk screen.

You can't do much with PDFs. No zooming. You can change font size but I am not sure, I only used on PDF when I bought it. Converting PDFs to ePubs are a lot easier.

You can do annotations.

[Rich_D]

Originally Posted by milan

Thanks, very helpful answer.

Is it not possible in software to change the font size in PDF documents? Alternatively, does pdf reader on the Nook allow zooming?

Are annotations and comments supported and if, in which formats?

Also, is there a dictionary available for quick lookup of a word? say by selecting it in the lower screen or typing it in while reading, without interfering with the upper screen?

yet another edit: I am a software developer so Android platform is very interesting to me. Do you know if I can create my own apps and run/publish them? I presume the Google market is not available on the Nook.

You can change the font size in PDF docs, but cannot zoom.

Not sure about annotations and comments - sorry. There is a note feature - I've never used it.

There is a dictionary available. Use the LCD to select the word, but the definition appears in the upper screen. Once you clear the definition, it returns to the page you were reading.

See http://nookdevs.com/Main_Page for other developers and apps designed for the nook.

[milan]

thanks!

Another question popped up. When I buy it, do I have to register it while still in the USA or can it be done outside? Does the account holders address need to be located in the US?

[geertm]

Originally Posted by milan

thanks!

Another question popped up. When I buy it, do I have to register it while still in the USA or can it be done outside? Does the account holders address need to be located in the US?

Outside the USA you can register using Wifi.
You have to put a valid USA address in your B&N acount as shipping and billing address. You can use an international credit card.

[virplay]

- "Cover flow" only works with your B&N books. I have not noticed other limitations with non B&N content.

Thats truth? So if I transfer my epub from calibre to my nook (dont have it yet) I wont see the cover flow?

[:D ominik]

Originally Posted by virplay

- "Cover flow" only works with your B&N books. I have not noticed other limitations with non B&N content.

Thats truth? So if I transfer my epub from calibre to my nook (dont have it yet) I wont see the cover flow?

Yes. But if you softroot your nook, you'll get a much better experience:
- Coverflow for sideloaded content
- better document organization
- you can use any third party SIM card
- B&N and sideloaded content in one listing
- file manager
- feed reader
- et cetera...
- last but not least: you'll get the beautiful original buttons

Take a look: http://nookdevs.com/


Bye,

Dominik

[DannyElfman]

A quick one for you guys.

Is it possible to use the eink screen to display a webpage ?

For instance, if I load a wikipedia webpage on the lcd screen at home from the wifi connection, can I send it to the eink screen ? That would be amazing for me )

[geertm]

Originally Posted by DannyElfman

A quick one for you guys.

Is it possible to use the eink screen to display a webpage ?

For instance, if I load a wikipedia webpage on the lcd screen at home from the wifi connection, can I send it to the eink screen ? That would be amazing for me )

I am not sure what you mean exactly, but the Nook browser uses the e-ink screen, as well as the colour tochscreen.

[DannyElfman]

Sorry if I'm not clear

But I think you gave me the answer I was looking for. The e-ink screen can display web pages. It means I can go on a wikipedia with it !

Thanks